乾县铁佛寺移动版

QUESTION: But if a woman is raped or if she knows that her child is going to be deformed, wouldn’t it be better to stop the pregnancy?

ANSWER: A child conceived as the result of a rape is as entitled to live and be loved as any other child. He or she should not be killed simply because their biological father committed a crime. Giving birth to a deformed or mentally retarded child would be a terrible shock for the parents, but if it’s okay to abort a fetus like this then why not  kill  children  or  adults  who  are  deformed  or  handicapped?  There  might  be situations where abortion was the most humane alternative, for example, to save the life of a mother. But let’s be honest, most abortions are performed simply because the pregnancy is inconvenient, an embarrassment, or because the parents want to have the child later. To Buddhists, these seem very poor reasons to destroy a life.

QUESTION: If someone committed suicide would they be breaking the First Precept?

ANSWER: When one person murders another they might do it out of fear, anger, fury, greed or some other negative emotions. When a person kills himself or herself they might do it for very similar reasons or because of other negative emotions like despair or frustration. So whereas murder is the result of negative emotions directed towards another, suicide is the result of negative emotions directed towards oneself, and   therefore   would   be   breaking   the    Precept.   However,   someone   who   is contemplating suicide or has attempted suicide does not need to be told that what they are doing is wrong. They need our support and our understanding. We have to help  them   understand   that   killing   themselves   is   perpetuating   their   problem, surrendering to it, not solving it.

QUESTION: Tell me about the Second Precept.

ANSWER: When we take this Precept we undertake to take nothing that does not belong to us. The Second Precept is about restraining our greed and respecting the property of others.

QUESTION: The Third Precept says we should avoid sexual misconduct. What is sexual misconduct?

ANSWER: If we use trickery, emotional blackmail or force to compel someone to have sex with us, then that can be said to be sexual misconduct. Adultery is also a form of sexual misconduct because when we marry we promise our spouse we will be loyal to them. When we commit adultery we break that promise and betray  our partner’s  trust.  Sex  should  be  an  expression  of  love  and  intimacy  between  two people, and when it is it contributes to our mental and emotional well-being.

QUESTION: Is sex before marriage a type of sexual misconduct?

ANSWER:  Not  if  there  is  love  and  mutual  agreement  between  the  two  people concerned. However, it should never be forgotten that the biological function of sex is reproduction and if an unmarried woman becomes pregnant, it can cause a great deal of problems. Many mature and thoughtful people think that it is far better to leave sex until after marriage.

If a married man committed adultery with an unmarried woman he would be breaking the Third Precept. But what about her? Would she be breaking the Precepts?

The main thing that determines whether an act is good or bad is one’s intention (cetana). If the woman did not know that the man was married she would not be breaking the Precept.  However, if she suspected that he was married but decided not to ask him so that she never knew for sure and thus avoided responsibility, she may not have broken the Precept but she would have certainly acted   in bad faith and  made  some  negative  kamma  for  herself.  As said  before,  not  every  deed  is 100% good or 100% bad. Many of the things we do are  a mixture of good, bad and neutral,  and  will  have  mixed  kammic  results.  We  should  always  try  to  act with straightforwardness, honesty and sincerity. (责任编辑：admin)